Meeting The Others Again
by RacRules
Summary: Finally, the sequel to Meeting The Others! Making new friends in the Disney Princess and Prince groups can be hard, especially when you've been trapped in a tower your entire life and a sarcastic former thief. For Eugene and Rapunzel, it'll be a journey!
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry it took so long! I was focusing on The Tale of a Rider, and then my school musical really ate up my time.**

**So, in lieu of a snow day, I got down to writing this. If you were a fan of my last story and read my chapter 12 rant about how my non-Disney fandoms can get insane, well, that has something to do with it too. I'm trying to get my mind off of the absolute jerks surrounding my other shows *cough*House*cough*…but I digress. **

**However, I'm doing this chapter kind of as a pilot. There are other fics with pretty much this exact premise popping up, and so I don't want to put a lot of effort into this story if nothing comes of it. So depending on the results of this chapter, I may or may not do a full sequel.**

**I'm starting with the princes today because, well, they had a better story idea.

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**

Eugene really didn't want to go to this.

At all.

He wasn't a prince. Not even close. And he didn't want to hang out with them. Oh sure, he had heard that he and Aladdin had their similarities, but then there were all the others—frilly collared, snot nosed little rich boys who had everything handed to them on a silver platter. After he'd married Rapunzel, he'd met plenty of princes. Most just turn up their nose at the little street trash that dared grace their presence while telling the king and queen in the most faux-pleasant tone that they are so impressed by the new addition to the family.

But Rapunzel insisted, reasoning that she was going to meet the Disney Princesses (which she was quite adorably excited for, with her lit-up green eyes and sunny smile) and would need someone to attend functions with her. He guessed that this was what relationships were about. No wonder he avoided them like the plague before her.

The Beast's castle wasn't particularly different from any castle he had seen before; same white towers, same grand entrances. If it had been any other time in his life, this would probably be a target for thievery instead of something he was just going to for "fun." But, strangely enough, as he entered the palace, he was greeted not by a snotty servant but a small boy in a loose white shirt, face sticky with what appeared to be ice cream.

"Hiya, sir! Sorry the other servants couldn't get you. My name is Chip, and I'm so glad to meet you!" The little boy shook his hand furiously, "It's been so long since new princes arrived, and now all of a sudden you and Naveen appear!"

Eugene had heard vaguely of Prince Naveen, but not enough to really know his character. He guessed he'd find out later.

"Com'n, the other princes are in the ballroom…" The boy tugged on his arm, pulling him down the hall to a pair of towering double doors. "Have fun, sir!" He skipped off with his hands clasped behind his back, humming to himself.

Eugene chuckled. Cute kid. Reminded him of some of the kids from the orphanage, if significantly better fed.

Slowly, he pushed open the door, the carved wood groaning against the slippery smooth floors. With a sigh, he stepped into the room.

It only flashed in his eyes before something reached forward and yanked him stumbling back, his boots making a loud THUNK as they grinded against the ground.

"Waah!" he flailed his arms to keep balance, but one was grabbed away before he could reclaim it. His stomach lurched as he finally was able to plant two feet on the ground.

"Woah…" A man, taller and broader than him, with a blonde ponytail and regal blue jacket, had taken it and held it up to his eyes. "Is everyone where you live this…bright and bulgy?"

"What?" Eugene yanked away his arm, rubbing it. "Wha…oh, great." As he looked out to the room around him, filled to the brim with laughing princes of all types, he saw that each one was flat and rather blank, with their hair a mass on mostly one color. Only the painted, shimmering golden chandelier looked anything like he was used to. He, on the other hand, was detailed and shaded, with every hair on his head shining in the bright light. "Yeah, I'm different. Wonderful."

"Oh…" The man shrugged, baring a set of perfectly white teeth, "that's okay, we understand. I just didn't expect…nevermind. Welcome, Flynn!" A large hand clamped on his shoulder, almost pushing him to the ground.

"Gah!" Eugene regained his balance once more. How many times was he going to have to do that tonight? "Its Eugene, and uh…thanks."

"Eugene?" The man frowned, rubbing his chin, "the messengers must have made a mistake…"

"No, your messengers are fine," Eugene sighed, rolling his eyes. He got really tired of explaining this! "I used to go by Flynn Rider, but now I went back to Eugene Fitzherbert."

"Eugene Fitzherbert?" asked a voice behind him, holding back a snicker.

"Hey!" Eugene spun around to meet a young Middle Eastern boy, barely poking past his teenage years, "it may not be the most regal sounding name, but—"

"No, no…" the boy smiled, sticking out his hand, "I'm Aladdin. I'm the youngest prince! That," he nodded towards the first man, "is Adam."

"Salutations." Eugene mumbled under his breath, shaking Aladdin's hand.

"So, I hear you're a thief, just like me!" Aladdin gave a big smile, full of excitement. His voice lowered, and he bent over a little closer, "It'll be nice to have someone else who didn't get born into marble arches and golden challises, you know?"

"Nah, we had to steal those."

Aladdin laughed, thumping him on the shoulder, "I like you already, I can tell."

"Oh, the new prince has arrived!"

Marvelous.

A breath whistled past Eugene's lips. This was when the pain was going to start.

A crowd of frilly dressed, cape-wearing (ok, only two of them wore capes, but _still. Capes!_), pearly whites'd, tight pants, fluffed hair, velvet vested princes flounced over to shake his hand.

He had to hold back a groan. And oh, it was _hard. _

The first, a man in a small black hunting cap and a particularly punchable smile, took his hand before Eugene could dodge the shake.

"Such an honor to meet you, my good, brightly colored man! I'm Phillip!"

"Brightly colored, indeed."

"Bulgy too."

"I've never seen anything like it."

Eugene opened his mouth to explain, but Phillip interrupted him.

"Now men," he said, "We know better than to call someone out on being different."

He looked sincere. But there was no way he was actually pleased to meet Eugene—was there? No, he would not be fooled by this man's obvious mask of friendliness. In two seconds Phillip was going to stick up his nose and wipe his lotioned hand on his tunic like Eugene was covered in slime or something.

"You get a lot of girls with that cap?" Eugene joked, figuring hey, he might as well be himself. It's not like they wouldn't see right past any act he put on, especially not with his very peasant-like attire. He maybe shouldn't have worn his rough, frayed blue vest and thick brown boots, but he did, and now it was these or going naked. And something told him he might turn away a few more princes like that.

"No more than my beloved Aurora." Phillip shrugged. "Do you, um, 'get a lot of girls?'" The prince couldn't exactly hide his distaste of the idea, his face twisting into a frown.

"Not since I got married." A sly smirk invaded Eugene's lips, "but before then, yeah, the ladies loved me."

Phillip blinked twice.

"Where's Naveen?" He smiled gently, chuckling, "He hasn't arrived yet, and for _some _reason," the other princes gave a knowing laugh, "I think he should be here."

"I dunno." Aladdin scratched his hair, shaking it from his face, "It's kind of like him to be late, though."

"What about Naveen?" Eugene asked Adam.

"It's just that last year, when Naveen first got here…" Adam shook his head, "Nevermind. It's a long story."

"Naveen is a fine fellow," Phillip said, "But he took some getting used to."

All of a sudden, the talking stopped. All eyes were on Eugene, expecting him to say something.

"Uh…" Eugene hated being put on the spot. It made him feel naked, especially when he can't steal anything. He knew ol' Blondie would object to him robbing the golden belt buckles off the princes on the very first meeting. "Eheheh, yeah, I am quite the charmer. All the girls, they had a thing for the bad boy type, so they all wanted me. Couldn't resist. Thief, ya know?" He gave a half smoulder, half smile, leaning back on his crossed boots and folding his arms.

None of the princes looked impressed.

Phillip shook his head softly, laughing gently. "Naveen is either going to love you or despise you utterly."

_Oh God,_ he thought. Really? What was Naveen like? Eugene again fought the urge to groan, a million ideas running through his head.

And, as if on cue, the doors burst open.

"Sorry I'm late, boys!" A heavy accent that Eugene didn't recognize sang, "The wife was a little, uh, insistent. But you know, none of them can resist me!" The man, newsboy cap in one hand and ukulele in the other, danced through the princes, patting some on the back and nudging others in the side, the cocky grin never leaving his face. He flopped the cap on his head, now forming a smile that looked disturbingly like Eugene's signature smoulder.

Oh God oh God.

He stood back, recrossing his arms as Naveen stopped right in front of him.

"Ah…who are you, may I ask?"

"Eugene. Eugene Fitzherbert."

Naveen stood there, staring back at him for a short while, a blank expression on his face. Then:

"Mmf…"

"Naveen…"

"Sorry, its just…heheheh…"

"My friend, it's not kind to—"

"I know! I know! I just…uh…hmmhehehah…"

"3, 2, 1." Eugene whispered to himself, sighing.

"BUAHAHAHAHA!"

"Charming," he moaned.

"I—hahaha—thought—heheheh—your name was Flynn Rider."

"I did go by that," Eugene dropped his hands to his sides, his face growing hard and serious. Naveen glanced to Phillip before looking back, and Eugene couldn't help but see that he looked a bit…scared. "But then I decided it made me sound like I was trying too hard. And a few other things happened as well." Naveen didn't leave his eye, but didn't make an attempt to close the gap.

_I wonder…_

As an experiment, Eugene stepped forward, towards Naveen. The prince in front of him hopped back, trying to keep a constant distance.

The cogs in Eugene's mind where whirling. This time, he balled his fists once before letting them go and, almost immediately, Naveen flew up his own hands in front of his body, eyes wide.

"Ok, ok, I get it. No need to make any trouble."

Eugene almost couldn't believe it. Naveen was_…intimidated _by him.

Of course he was, he thought. Naveen, with his soft skin, soft hands and handsome but completely well-trimmed looks, must have lived all his life with soft pillows and plenty of cash to keep him cozy. He had every right to be intimidated by someone with a little dirt under their fingernails, especially someone about his own age.

Eugene smirked. This could be fun.

"Really?" Eugene said in his best, thug-deep voice. "I think there's plenty room for trouble." He sauntered closer to the prince, crossing his arms again. "You make fun of my name, you pay the price…Us street boys, we settle our differences with blood."

Naveen gave a nervous laugh, rubbing his arm. He sent a pleading at Adam, practically begging him to save him.

Eugene found it positively hilarious.

"I don't think—"

"Alright, no." Adam jumped forward, spreading his arms between the two men. "Stop it. I don't want any fighting, please. We don't need another Shang and John."

Two men Eugene hadn't noticed before took a moment to give a fiery glare at each other, the type of glare he usually took as a sign it's time to leave the bar.

"Sorry," Eugene murmured to Naveen, shrugging, "I was just kidding around."

"Ok, I like a good joke," he said, "I'm a lighthearted person. So, a 'street boy,' huh?"

"He's a theif, like me!" Aladdin piped, still smiling about the fact.

"A brightly colored one. You don't stand out too much to steal anything?"

Eugene closed his eyes, letting out one last groan. He was going to have to explain this a lot tonight, wasn't he?

"Everything where I live looks like this."

"Seriously? Even the world around you?"

"Even the world around us, yes."

The princes glanced among each other, wide eyed, before looking back to him.

"You live in a strange land," a black haired prince in a shifty white shirt said, a bewildered look on his face.

A young prince stepped forward, running a strand of Eugene's hair in his fingers. "Your hair…it gleams!"

"Gah!" he swatted his hand away, brushing his hair back into place, "Don't do that!"

Another prince, this one with shorter black hair and a slightly more modern uniform, stuck his nose right up to Eugene's chest. "The detail on your vest is _fascinating! _I can see every thread!"

"Uh…great…" Eugene slowly pushed his face away from his body, his mouth forming a nervous smile.

"You look uncomfortable."

"Gee, I wonder why!" he rubbing a hand down his face, not opening his eyes, "Do you greet every new prince by inspecting his clothes?"

"No, none of our clothes have been so interesting before." Adam replied.

"We're all flat!" Aladdin added, pointing to his own hat.

"Well, congrats to me," Eugene said, making an exaggerated smile and holding two thumbs up, "That doesn't mean you can invade my bubble like that!" He moved his hands up in down beside his body, demonstrating his "bubble."

"Sorry, my friend." Phillip tipped his cap, "Sometimes we get carried away."

"A lot?" Eugene asked, turning up his eyebrows.

"Oh, yes." Naveen threw an arm around his shoulders with a light smirk, "This is a crazy life here. You better be prepared."

"Just phenomenal." Eugene slumped his shoulders, blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

This was going to be difficult.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, I decided to continue. Thanks for all your very kind reviews! I can't believe you guys love my silly stories do much. **

**I might take some requests for meeting themes if y'all want. Oh, and FYI, I'm assuming that Flynn exaggerated about the "years and years" thing before they got married. To me, the last scene (with her in a white-ish dress and him in a black vest) looked awfully wedding-ish. **

**Oh, and I meant to have this out two weeks ago. But then my power chord broke. Again. GRRRRR.

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**

Oh, oh goodness! It was the day! It was finally the day!

Rapunzel awoke with a start, sunlight pouring into her castle bedroom. Eugene groaned beside her, hiding his head beneath a pillow.

"Com'n, Blondie, the meeting isn't for another, what? Two hours?" He lifted the pillow just enough to let one amber eye peek up. She giggled, recovering his face.

"Well then you can stay in bed. I want to make sure I'm completely ready!" She swung her legs off the side of the bed, giving a little hop and she hit the wooden floor. "What to wear, what to wear…" She pranced to her wardrobe, flinging it open to a rainbow of silk dresses.

"From what I heard from the guys," Eugene sighed, sitting up in the bed, "The girls usually just wear what they're most known for."

"So…this?" Rapunzel slowly pulled out a familiar purple dress, every stitch by her own hand. The silk was worn down and smooth from use, a few threads poking out here and there.

"I'd guess so, Blondie."

Rapunzel shrugged, slipping the dress over her head. "And I guess I have to go barefoot too then…"

"Yeah, whateff." Eugene mumbled, his eyes already closed in sleep. Rapunzel shook her head gently, bending forward to kiss his temple before skipping out of the room.

Cinderella's castle was not that much different than her own home, if more pearly white and a tad more modern. Like hers, it was in the middle of a city, but it was still a little more separated, a towering gate blocking off anyone uninvited from entering.

Rapunzel slowly stepped into the front door, already greeted by a peeled, frowning painting of a king in rich velvet.

"Uh, hi," she said to it. He just continued to frown at her.

"Princess Rapunzel?" She spun around to meet a black-suited man glaring down at her over a blade-thin nose, gloved hand crossed over his chest.

"Um, yes. That's me!" She waved her fingers, smiling softly.

"Mmhm_."_ He glared down at her bare feet, and Rapunzel could feel her cheeks burning red. Maybe she should have put some shoes on… "This way, your highness."

"Oh my gosh, I'm going to the meeting!" her hands made little claps as she followed him down the hall, "I'm actually going!"

"Mmhm," the butler turned up his nose, leading her down the hallway. She followed right behind him, gripping her hands in excitement.

"Oh, I hope they like me! I mean, I've been in a tower my whole life so sometimes I have a hard time knowing what to say…but they'd understand, right?"

"Mmhm."

"Oh, good! You know, you don't say much, but I think we'll get along swimmingly."

"The meeting room, your highness." The butler waved his gloved hand toward a shining white door, never once looking right at Rapunzel.

"Oh, thank you sir, have a good day!"

"Mmhm."

As her hand touched the spotless silver handle, time seemed to stop. The door swung silently open. The first things Rapunzel heard were rapid, excited whispers, to cluttered together for her to make out any words. Her heart raced, thudding in her chest, as she made the first step into the room.

And then, eighteen eyes were on her.

"Hi!" Rapunzel put on her best, friendliest smile, waving. "I-I'm Rapunzel! The newest princess!"

The first girl to stand, a dirty-blonde in a poofy bluish white dress, gave her one of the daintiest smiles she's ever seen. "Welcome, Rapunzel, to our humble abode."

"Well, I wouldn't really call it humble…" another girl, with a short, sensible dress and smooth dark skin, chuckled, "I'm Tiana, the second newest princess. Welcome."

"Oh my…" The first girl reached out to take a small bit of Rapunzel's skirt. "Charming told me you two were shinier than usual, but this is just exquisite…"

"Oh, thank you!" Rapunzel felt her heart flutter with excitement, "I made it myself!"

"_Really?" _Cinderella stood up again, her pearly whites gracefully bared, "I used to make clothes too, back before I married Charming. In fact, sometimes I still do!"

"Oh my! Maybe we can—"

"My dear," A pile of blonde curls flipped back to show an elegant blue eyed princess, pink dress swiveling as she walked, "If you don't mind, may I ask why your hair is so short?"

"Oh, it's kind of a long story," Rapunzel fingered the spilt ends of her crop of brown, smiling weakly, "but it got cut. When it was cut, it lost its power and turned brown."

"Oh, dear, you must have been so disappointed!"

"Oh, not really." Rapunzel clasped her hands together, grinning down at them, "I had Eugene."

Cinderella stepped back a little bit, her voice wavering, "Um…who's Eugene? I thought your prince's name was Flynn Rider…"

Rapunzel giggled, placing a hand on Cinderella's, "Oh no, Eugene is Flynn's real name. It's still him."

"Ooh, is he handsome?"

She laughed, covering her mouth, "Yes, I would certainly say so."

"Ooh, can we see him?"

"I gue—"

"Ah, Rapunzel." The next princess, a tall, tan skinned beauty with long black hair, tapped her shoulder, "Welcome, welcome. Please, come meet the newer princesses."

Rapunzel glanced down at her very much uncovered legs. Did her parents really let her dress like that? Mother Gothel had a strict "no higher than your calves, or the bad men will come to get you" rule and her real mother is, surprisingly enough, even stricter. She would have to climb out a window to get out like that…that princess sure was lucky.

"Ok!" She took the girl's hand as she led her farther back into the room. This group of princesses seemed slightly less dainty than the others, but still just as beautiful.

"This is Belle, Tiana, Jasmine, and Mulan." The princess pointed to each of them as she said their names, "I'm Pocahontas."

Rapunzel had to stop herself from whispering "wow." Belle and, now that she could see her closer up, Tiana looked mature and intelligent, hair sensibly tied back and simple smiles on their still bright and stunning faces. Jasmine, Mulan, and Pocahontas were more chiseled and elegant, like marble statues, black hair smooth and flowing. Each of them could stop kingdom traffic in a moment.

And, after a long time of those types of feelings being suppressed, Rapunzel felt…not ugly, but mediocre.

She knew she was pretty. But with her overbite, pert nose, child-like large green eyes, and now short brown hair, most had described her more as "attractively cute" than "breathtakingly gorgeous." Oh, Eugene used the second one when he was trying to be romantic, and she liked to think he saw her that way. But everyone else seemed to see her more of a perky, naïve girl (though, she had to admit, she was) It was even worse when others mistook her for younger than she was, with her short stature and not exactly exaggerated figure.

But with these girls, "cute" would have never factored into the equation.

"Hi." Rapunzel waved to them, and they waved back. Tiana's smile grew, her cheek resting on a slender hand.

"Aw, it's been a while since we've had a young princess. How old are you, hun?"

Rapunzel felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "Eighteen. How old are you?" She guessed early, maybe mid, twenties. Tiana just seemed so…so…she couldn't explain it. World-experienced. There was no way this girl had been cooped in a tower for most of her life.

Tiana's eyes widened in what looked like a mixture embarrassment and shock. "Oh, I didn't expect you to be so…" she blinked twice, looking away, "Nevermind."

"Tiana's nineteen," Mulan said with a small smile, "But you really wouldn't know it, I guess. She already owns her own restaurant! That she raised money for herself! She worked two regular hour jobs her entire life."

"Oh." Rapunzel tried to sound excited, but she only felt her blush grow hotter.

Nineteen? Only a year older than she was? And she had already done all that? It hadn't been that long ago that she was trapped in a dang tower! She spent her days with paint and paper mache, not jobs and owning restaurants!

"Oh please, Mulan," Tiana laughed, patting her friend on the shoulder, "By the time you were in your late teens you had become a soldier and saved your entire country."

"Oh, wow," Rapunzel whispered. She was feeling smaller every second.

"So Rapunzel," Jasmine said, twisting the tips of her black curtains around her fingers, "What adventures have you had? We'd love to hear them!"

"Oh yes!"

"Tell us!"

"I'm sure you have many great accomplishments!"

All of their eyes were on her. She raced through her mind for an interesting story to tell, "Well…I spent most of my life in a tower. Like, painting, and reading…and chess…"

"Oh," Tiana said, "That's nice."

_Darn it, that's not what they want to hear! _"Then I met Eugene, my thief…prince…husband…"

"Oh, thieves," Jasmine sighed, "They can be so wonderful."

"I don't think most of them are, Jasmine," Belle said, cocking an eyebrow slightly.

"Well, you just haven't met the right one."

"He helped me escape from the tower. And then we went on this amazing adventure, and we had to fight off guards chasing us. But…"

She almost mentioned Mother Gothel. Her mouth even formed an M, but she stopped mid-word. Maybe she'd tell them about her, but not now. Not when she was feeling like this. Some of the comments that she had made throughout her childhood were stinging her again, just a little, like a tiny needle.

_You're just a naïve little girl…There's no way you can survive in the outside world._

_Don't be thinking you're too beautiful. Everyone hates girls who think they're prettier than they are. _

_I'm just saying because I love you. _

"And, to make a long story short…well, I got captured again. Eugene came to save me, and got stabbed in the stomach. I wanted to use my magic hair to save him, but he cut it so I wouldn't have to be trapped for the rest of my life."

"Awwww!" the princesses sighed, their heads hanging to the side.

"And then he died."

"Oh," Belle blinked, "That was unexpected."

"Oh, don't worry! I started to cry for him and my tears brought him back to life!"

"Oh, how wonderful!" Pocahontas said, "I saved my love's life too. Of course I was also stopping a terrible war between our two nations when I did, but love was very important too!"

"Of course," Rapunzel mumbled. She was never going to fit in with these princesses, not ever. She looked back at the first princesses she met, and her heart only fell faster. They looked so regal, refined, sitting in those chairs, hands gracefully tucked under their chins. Could she ever do that?

"Girls!" Cinderella stood in the middle of the room, hands folded gently at her chest.

All of the princesses turned towards the servants bustling in to bring them their tea and little finger foods, not on set of eyes on Rapunzel. Taking the opportunity, she slipped out the back door onto a balcony.

She gazed down at the gardens. Twisted hedges, adorned with deep red roses, circled around a crystal pool, a dark wooden bench nestled in the branches. Every bush was cut and clean, with every branch seeming to be the exact same length.

Everything, _everyone _here was just as clean, just as well-formed and put together. Either that, or they were ridiculously strong and accomplished.

Rapunzel spent her days reading the same three books, painting the same walls, sweeping the same floors, over and over and over again. And all throughout, she had been told how plain she was, how naive she was, and how she was never going to survive anywhere but home.

After she found out the truth about her parentage, she knew that those comments were not true. But sometimes, when she was feeling lonely or insecure, they would seep back into her mind and weigh her down once again, until she was looking at herself in the mirror differently and wondering if parts of them really were the truth.

This was one of those moments.

Rapunzel leaned over the railing, burying her face in her hands. She felt the tears welling in her eyes, and she couldn't help but let them fall.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Rapunzel turned around to see, much to her surprise, Mulan, walking up behind her holding two cups of steamy red tea.

"Y-yeah, I guess." Rapunzel stammered, letting her short hair fall in front of her eyes.

"Here." Mulan handed her a cup of tea. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, leaning over the railing again. She wiped her eyes, trying to hide her tears, but she was pretty sure Mulan saw them anyway. "I guess just a little unsure."

Her companion laughed, throwing out her hands, "Unsure? Why?"

"I'm just not sure I can make friends with any of you." Rapunzel bent her head over again, a deep weight of shame pressing down on her shoulders.

"Oh." Mulan leaned over next to her, rubbing the teacup in her hand. "Rapunzel…do you want to know a secret?"

"What?"

Mulan sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "I feel that way too, sometimes."

The young princess did look up at her now, almost laughing. Mulan? The solider? No, there was no way!

"You see, I was trained from the day I was born to be a perfect bride but…well, I was never good enough. I was clumsy. I was headstrong. And they had no problem telling me so. Now, I know that's not a bad thing. But I'm never going to be as…how do I say it…polished as the other girls. Even today, I have trouble dancing, and can't walk in long, flowy dresses. I have a much easier time making friends with guys than girls, since guys only care if you can punch them out. I talk without thinking, and still trip over tables on occasion. And trust me, it gets embarrassing. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever fit in. But then I remember how hard I worked to get here, and how much I've done, and I know all that doesn't really matter."

Rapunzel sighed softly, sipping her tea. She never expected _Mulan _of all people to be able to relate to her, but part of her felt that she was only trying to. Still, it was comforting, if only a little. "I've been in a tower all my life. I was amazed just walking through a simple kingdom! I spent my whole life looking out a window just to get a look at this world, I didn't go out and save it like you."

"So? I didn't save the world, Rapunzel…"

"Just a country."

"Again…so? You sound like you did a lot! Do you know how few of us actually saved our prince instead of the other way around?" Mulan smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Not a lot."

"Not as much as you. This world…I've only been part of it for a very short while."

Mulan giggled a bit, shaking her head. "Do you know who you sound like?"

Rapunzel glanced up at her, confused, "Who?"

"Ariel."

"Who's Ariel?"

"The redhead in the pink dress. You sound exactly like her. She spent her entire life trapped under the sea, looking out to see the outside world, until she got a chance to get out. That's when her adventure started. I bet you two could be great friends."

"Really?" Rapunzel's face finally lit up into one of her sunshine bright smiles again. That's sounds exactly like her!

"You know who else? Belle, and Jasmine, maybe even Cinderella. Jasmine even ran away from home like you, and is married to a thief."

"How did I never get these things?" Rapunzel asked, jokingly hitting herself in the head.

"Because you kept judging yourself!" Mulan hugged her shoulders, brushing a stray brown hair out of her eyes, "You seem like a bright, happy girl. But what made you question yourself so harshly?"

"Well…" she cast her eyes down, "This woman I thought was my mother, throughout my childhood, would say these things…I know I shouldn't listen, I know they weren't true, but still…"

"Say no more." Mulan opened the door from the balcony, "I understand. Now, do you want to go back inside?"

Rapunzel nodded furiously, flouncing in the doors. This time, she was bound and determined to make some wonderful new friends!

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**I'm helping with a middle school production of Mulan Jr. right now, so I wanted to have some Mulan showcasing. ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah, another long update. I was going on two different trips this month so I really didn't have that much chance to write. And I'm lazy. Very lazy. **

**God, I love writing the princes. XD I don't even know why, they're just so entertaining. I might be starting another Tangled fic soon (depending on how it goes and if I can work out the plot) so this story might be put on the back burner for a bit. I'll try and still get new chapters out, but you know how life is, so bear with me. Again, thank you for all your wonderful reviews!**

**But oh man, some of this is was really hard to not make sure it didn't sound like innuendo...**

* * *

The ballroom was empty.

Eugene took two steps forward, and then a single step back. Was this the right day? Of course it was. Wednesday afternoon, when the sun was just passing the highest point in the sky. Even if it was only his second meeting, he knew that.

So why was the ballroom empty?

He walked to the middle of the ballroom. Just for a moment, he had to appreciate how beautiful it was; the sun shone through the ceiling-high windows, illuminating the golden columns and making the chandelier sparkle in the light.

"Hello Eugene!"

"Whoa!" He jumped in surprise, spinning around to meet the source of the voice. It was Adam, blonde hair slicked back in an even tighter ponytail than usual.

"We're out in the courtyard," he said, taking Eugene's shoulder and leading him back through the double doors of the ballroom. "We are teaching each other our combat techniques!"

"What?"

"Well, since a lot of us are from very different lands, we decided to have a day to show off each other's fighting styles." Adam pushed open a groaning stone door, revealing a decently sized courtyard, a large oak tree shading over most of the grass with a few flowers sprinkled here and there. The princes littered the yard; The Prince and Phillip were fencing by the wall, Aladdin and Eric were lunging at each other's faces in a fist-fight, John was shooting round targets with his rifle, and Shang, strongest of all, was hitting a dummy with a long wooden pole, sending hay and burlap in all directions. He was also shirtless for some reason, but Eugene had heard from Aladdin that he always took his shirt off to work out.

"Not that Mulan minds," the teenager had snickered.

"And where was I when this decision was made?"

"I don't think you're on our mailing list yet," Adam said, rubbing his chin. "We'll have to fix that. But anyway, I'm sure you, being a thief and all, have plenty of interesting moves to show us."

"I'd bet he does too!" Aladdin said, grinning from ear to hear before punching Eric in the mouth.

"What is your weapon of choice?" Shang spun his pole through the air, and then shoved it straight forward into the dummy's head. The poor soul bounced right at Eugene's feet, the man wincing at the contact.

"A frying pan," Eugene answered before he thought. Shang raised an eyebrow, swinging his pole over his shoulders.

"Interesting choice…" Shang's eyes shifted to the side, mouth twitching. Eugene knew he was trying to hide a confused smile.

"Well you know, pretty boy," Eugene sauntered up to him, smirking, "Cast iron tends to do better than a stick."

"Do you want to test that theory?" Shang said darkly.

"Cast iron may be stronger than a pole," John lowered his gun, turning it in his hand and admiring the shiny barrel, "But lead will conquer all."

"Lead may kill faster," Phillip set his sword down, the Prince following suit, "but you must realize gentlemen, that it allows you to kill something almost instantly from a large distance."

"I do believe you are missing the point of argument, Phillip," John Smith chuckled, earning, once again, a dirty look from Shang.

"Let me finish. Where's the sport in that? The years of training for skill? No sir, the sword remains the great ancient weapon and symbol of power."

"True shooters do take years of training for skill," John Smith stated, offended, "I'd like to see you kill a flying duck from 50 feet away with a _sword._"

"I can get behind a sword." Shang walked over to a tree where his own lay, unsheathing it and holding into the air so it can glitter in the sunlight. He smirked at it proudly, sighing with content at the scratches earned in many battles.

"Ok, I love my frying pan, but I don't get affectionate with it," Eugene mumbled.

"I have available to me both swords and guns," Eric pointed out, dodging another one of Aladdin's blows, "…and frying pans…"

Eugene rolled his eyes.

"But I still stay loyal to the simple art of hand to hand combat."

"Yeah!" Aladdin punched the air, almost knocking his turban off of his head. His fist then changed direction to get Eric right on top of his head.

"Or," Shang slid his blade back into the sheath, tossing the strap confidently over his shoulder, "you can be like a proper soldier and know all of these arts: hand to hand, swordplay _and _gunpowder. And frying pans."

"Psh, like anyone else here besides me knows how to use one of _those_ correctly," Eugene sneered.

"Gunpowder?" John Smith asked with a smirk, "What do _you_ know about gunpowder?"

"I'll have you know that China is home to the finest rockets in the world. We know a great deal, given that we invented the stuff." Shang puffed up his chest proudly, turning away from his rival.

"Ah, but you see, rockets and canons are nowhere near the usefulness of a good musket." John patted his affectionately, "and those, I point out, were invented in Europe."

"China has no need for such weapons." Shang turned his back to John Smith, obviously trying not to look defeated. A proper soldier, Eugene figured, never shows his defeat. A thief, on the other hand, accepts defeat and then swipes the medal on the way out the door.

Eugene stood back, watching Shang and John Smith at each other out on the field. He felt an odd amusement at the scene playing out; they were probably the only ones of the princes (besides possibly Adam) that had a chance of beating the other, and instead of wrestling or otherwise putting their muscles to the battle, they instead chose to fight with words and put-downs. Both of them seemed too honorable to get down and dirty, despite their obvious ability to do so. Eugene chuckled, until something, just at the far wall, caught his eye. He frowned.

"What are you doing, Naveen?" the thief asked. Naveen leaned on the wall, icy drink in hand and a nonchalant smile on his lips. Charming stood beside him, sipping what looked like wine.

"Enjoying the show, dear Eugene," he replied, holding out a bottle, "Care to join us?"

"No…" Eugene stepped past the debating princes (Well, one explorer and one military captain, to be exact) to meet the lounging princes. "Don't you have any talents in weaponry to provide? Or did you really just spend your life with nothing but wealth and women?"

"Excuse me, wealth, women, and _music, _thank you very much. Besides, it's much more fun to sit back and watch the others dirty their hands."

"Uh huh."

"I spent my life with just wealth!" Charming said, holding up his pointer finger.

"I know, I know," Naveen patted his shoulder, a look of sympathy on his face, "Such a poor, deprived young soul."

"I didn't mean—"

"I know how you meant it, friend."

"So…" Eugene leaned against the wall next to Naveen, slipping the bottle from his hand and taking a swig.

"Hey!"

"You offered." He took another sip. "Don't you feel the least bit ashamed of just lazing around back here and not, you know, doing anything to prove your usefulness of a prince?"

"Eugene, Eugene, Eugene." Naveen laughed, turning to face him and combing back his artfully styled curls with his fingers, "The thing about the 'usefulness of a prince' is that the concept changes with time."

"And by that you mean…"

"Back in the early days, at least if you are talking Europe, where I assume you are from," Naveen turned away from him again, this time staring up at the sky, "A prince was known for his father's conquests in war, in conquering land and, or course women," he chuckled, "After that, it was decided by birthright and the church. After that, well, mostly just birthright. But there came a time amidst all that where people started caring less and less what a prince could do on the battlefield, and more if their prince could talk another prince out of sending the armies in. In other words, at that point it mattered less your physical aptitude and more mental aptitude and education. _Then_ there came a point where there was no way they'd let their prince take part in battle at all."

"Most of the other guys lived in that time, didn't they?" Eugene pointed towards the other men, who were busy delving themselves into the fistfights, blades and suits of armor.

"Yes, but they still lived in an age where a prince was allowed much more to reach out and adventure, like Eric and his sailing, for instance. They didn't _have _to, but they could on their own accord, mostly because, to be honest, there was not much else to do. Castles were still awfully boring. Then, there came a time when that changed too, because the castles were not secluded away in—or close to—some wood or sea or something."

"So I assume that's where you are?"

"I'm not finished. _That_ is about where Charming cuts off." He motioned toward the man, who waved at Eugene.

"Well," Charming said, "Castles are still quite boring. But I find ways to entertain myself."

"I am even later, when to be honest, it's been a while that the world had grown weary of the idea of an accident of birth giving someone rule over their lives, with quite good reason, if I am any indication." He chuckled again, this time more nervously. "So, power has been taken and taken from us until, at my point, for many countries including my own, royalty is basically just a figurehead—a face on a coin, really, if there's any royalty at all. Sure, we need to be highly educated; heck, I am trilingual—fluent in my native language of Maldonian, English, and French—and this was an extremely abridged version of my extensive knowledge of history, not to mention science and diplomacy. But really, my main job is to sell newspapers. And lets be honest," Naveen gave another one of his smoulder-esque smiles that Eugene had grown to hate, "I'm quite good at that."

"You really thought this out, didn't you?" Eugene rolled the bottle back in forth in his hand, Naveen still not meeting his eye.

"There are times when I wonder if I'm really worth as much as these men, yes." Naveen crossed his arms, finally looking Eugene in the eye. "Don't you? Or are you just a cocky thief?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait," Eugene swung back the drink for a long gulp this time, handing the few millimeters of remaining alcohol back to Naveen, "Are _you _really the one to call _me _cocky?"

"If the shoe—"

"YOU CREATEN!" Shang's voice cut through the air. Eugene, Naveen, and Charming snapped their heads to look in its direction, seeing Shang and John Smith rolling on the ground in a cloud of dirt, taking every opportunity to punch each other's faces and kick each other's stomachs.

"Hey!" Adam dove in to stop them, but was caught in the struggle, shoving this way and that to rip them apart. Aladdin stepped forward to help his friend, but he too was only lost in the tangle of arms and legs.

"Ugh!"

"Hey!"

"Ow!"

"What the—"

"You're right." Eugene said, taking the bottle back from Naveen to take the last sip, "This _is _more fun."

"Oh no!" Eric tossed his dark blue cloak back, leaping to his feet to get some help from the servants. Suddenly, Aladdin's foot jutted out, sending the prince toppling down into the heap to fight as well. It was not long onto the group swallowed even the Prince and Phillip, yelping for help and only doing their best to dig their way out.

"Told you."

Naveen opened another bottle and distributed it among the three of them, and there they stood, sipping and conversing throughout the rest of the meeting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I'm so mean to you guys about updating. It's mostly a mixture of recitals, exams, ADD, writers block, and laziness. I decided, then, that the best thing to do would have a little call back to the last story: The annual ball!**

* * *

"No. Way. Are you serious?" Eugene thumped his head on the dresser, digging his fingers into his hair. "I don't think I can do this."

"Don't be silly. You dance just fine." Rapunzel patted his neck from behind him. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"That's not what I meant."

"I thought you were getting along with the other princes okay."

"I kind of do…" Eugene picked his head off the dresser, turned around and slumped backwards onto it. "Mostly just Aladdin and Adam, though, and maybe Naveen and Charming. But spending an entire night all dressed up, dancing in a ballroom to boring music and having to be social with the Wealthy McVelvetpants is not my cup of _la bière_."

"You do realize that's French for 'beer' and not 'tea', right?" She knew those palace French lessons would pay off, especially now that she's going to New Orleans for the ball—apparently French culture was big down there.

"Trust me, Blondie, I am well aware."

"Tiana said the ball will be quite formal." Rapunzel scooped out her white dress, hugging it to her chest as she looked in the mirror. "I guess this is the best—it's the only dress I wore that wasn't my purple one."

"Does that mean I have to wear the black vest?"

"It does indeed, Mr. Flynn Rider," Rapunzel giggled. She began untying the laces of her handmade dress and letting it drop to the ground. Keeping on her satin white slip, she pulled her ball gown over her head.

"Eh, at least I look great in it."

Rapunzel giggled again. She finished lacing up her dress before brushing through her short brown hair. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"I could make a list of at least 50 things." Eugene buttoned up his vest and straightened his pants. After taking a moment to admire himself in the mirror, tossing his hair out of his eyes with a well-trained flip, he proceeded to slump back down in annoyance.

"So, New Orleans, eh? All the way across the pond?"

"Yep!" Rapunzel giggled once more. She curled her hands into his and led him out of the room. "So we don't have a minute to waste!"

* * *

"Wow, the women here have their hair as short as mine! Some even shorter!"

"Yeah, it seems to be a style here."

Rapunzel swirled through the New Orleans streets. She giggled as shoe shiners tipped their hats to her, skipped in a joyful circle whenever they passed the numerous street musicians, and always looked at the sparkling, artificially lit city with stars in her eyes, gasping at even the more simple sights.

In other words, she was basically Rapunzel.

Eugene couldn't help but smile when she exclaimed to a woman that she'd never seen another with hair short as theirs, as if she expected them to be best friends just because of that little fact.

"Come on, Goldie." He took her hand, leading her faster down the street towards their destination, "we have to move faster or we won't get there in time."

"Eugene, we're perfectly early."

"Still."

He couldn't help but notice the other people had been staring at them the entire time, some with amusement, some with surprise and shock, some as if they were some grotesque animal. He wasn't sure if it was just their dramatically different styles of clothing (why did women in this land wear such loose, box like dresses? Did they no longer have to care if potential husbands considered them too scrawny for childbirth? And for that matter, they were awfully short. Though, that little detail almost made Eugene wish he had come here sooner) or the fact that, like the princes, they were considerably bulgier and more brightly colored than everyone else in this city?

After one more turn of a corner, Tiana's restaurant was in view. The words "Tiana's Palace" gleamed in the fading sky, shaming all the now-shabby-looking buildings beside it. It was no castle, but it didn't seem to want to be.

"Shall we go in, Blondie?" Eugene gestured toward the door, and Rapunzel grinned, taking his arm.

"We shall."

"Tiana, the restaurant looks so beautiful!" Eugene opened the door to see Snow White prancing along the few tables that were set up for the night (most of the floor, he assumed, was cleared for dancing), placing silverware on all of the cloth napkins.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help," Tiana replied, hugging the girl around the shoulders. Her dress, not like any Rapunzel had seen her in before, was a sparking light green ballgown, like a lilypad. With a smile so bright it could have lit the room by itself, Snow White placed the last spoon on its napkin.

"What's it like to host your first ball tonight, Tiana?" Belle asked, stepping into view. Tiana smiled at her friend, but gave a slight frown right afterwards.

"Well, it's nice, but it's a lot of work, and I have to close the buildin' for the night…"

"Tia…" Naveen raised an eyebrow at her from above the balcony. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"It doesn't look like everyone's here yet." Eugene mumbled, already leaning his head on his hand in boredom.

"No, just Snow and the Prince, Belle and Adam, and y'all, but the men are up there with Naveen."

"There there, my friends!" Naveen leaned on the railing, all decked out in a respectable blue uniform that looked somewhat similar to Charming's normal wear.

"There there…" Eugene said.

"Anyway," Tiana said, "What should we do before they get here? Dance? Have some appetizers? Or just talk—"

"TIIAAANNAAA!" The doors of the restaurant burst open with a CLANG. A puffed mass of hot pink shoved its way through the frame, zipping its way to the princess faster than that kind of dress should ever allow. Tiana almost fell back in surprise, but caught herself on Charlotte's shoulders.

"Goodness, Charlotte, what's the matter?" Tiana sat her down in one of the chairs. Charlotte shook so hard you could almost hear it, not letting go of her friend's skirt.

"Oh Tia, it's a disaster! A calamity only you can help me with! A dilemma of Biblical proportions!"

"What is it, Lottie?"

"Oh, Tia, you know that very, very important family from New York?"

"Yeah."

"The one with the father that's a cousin of the Prince of Enlarn? And then a son whose also a cousin to the Prince of Enlarn? Which would kind of make him a prince too?"

"You told me many times, Lottie."

"You know how he's comin' to my house?"

"Yeah."

"Well tonight is our giant openin' dinner. The food just arrived from our caterers, burnt to a crisp! Daddy is gonna get them good, but what are we gonna do?"

"What about your cook?"

"On vacation. That's why we hired a caterer."

"Oh Lottie, if you had just asked me sooner…"

"What about our food?" Belle offered.

"I only made appetizers, no meals. I don't have anythin' ready that I can serve at a dinner."

To say that Charlotte burst into tears would be an understatement; in reality, she _exploded_ into a sobbing fit that made even Naveen jump in surprise. Eugene slowly pushed his chair away from her, crinkling his lip. He grew up in an orphanage, thank you very much, and the sound of high pitched crying in the night (usually when he was burying his head under his pillow and trying to get just a wink of sleep) is not a memory he wanted to relive.

"I know…I know…" Charlotte heaved a sigh, blowing her nose with enough force to send the napkin flipping out in the air, "I'm a terrible friend for askin' you somethin' like this…"

"No no…its just—"

"Excuse me," Rapunzel, hands again behind her back, grinned and stepped forward to meet the two women, "I've cooked all my life, for myself. I'm no gourmet, but I'd be glad to help you out."

"Me too." Snow White gripped Tiana's arm, "helping you cook is one of my favorite activities."

The Prince, finally revealing himself from over the balcony, shouted down to them, "I have no skills in cooking, but I'd gladly aid my wife."

"My skills are tenuous at best." Belle stood, "But I'll lend a hand as well."

"Now guys, I don't know."

"Please, Tiana, at least let us try!" Snow White gripped her arm tighter. "Charlotte needs us!"

"Oh, alright." The cook smiled back at her best friend, "What do you need?"

"Ok!" Charlotte leaped from her chair. "We'll need an appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert!"

Rapunzel pondered for a second, rubbing her chin. "I can make hazelnut soup. Spice it up a tad, put on some decoration and it'll make a great appetizer, along with the food Tiana already prepared."

"I can handle the salad," Belle added, "A mix of vegetables, how hard can it be?"

"Leave the entrée to me," Tiana said.

"I can make a pie fit for many people!" Snow White piped, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Boys!" Snapping her fingers, Tiana cried out to the balcony, "Get on some aprons. We have work to do."

* * *

Knives rammed against cutting boards in a blur. Dough, filling the room with its sweet aroma, was flattened and rolled almost as the wooden spoons mixed it. Fruit, nuts, and vegetables were ripped from the pantries and iceboxes until they were almost bare, and hastily diced into tiny pieces. Spices, flung this way and that, scattered over the counters and the aprons that barely covered the princess's dresses.

Rapunzel wiped the beads of sweat off her brow, dripping from a mixture of the heated ovens and her own rapid movement. She had made hazelnut soup before, but never as much as 12 servings. Still, she was the princess, darn it, and she could take a challenge. Eugene cut the vegetables next to her, handing them over at her beckon.

"Squash."

"Apple."

"Thyme."

She slid the pan into the hot oven (good thing Tiana had so many; they were all being used) and slid the waiting hazelnuts out, all while almost running into Tiana, who skipped out of the way just in time as not to spill hot sauce over them.

"I have some downtime," she shouted over the noise, "Anyone need help?"

"Can you cut these carrots for me?"

"Sure, Belle!"

"Oh, how did I ever deserve such friends?" Charlotte swung her folded hands to her cheek, "Y'all are amazing."

"Wow, Snow," Rapunzel nearly cut herself as she looked up, "You don't have a single stain on your dress! How did you do that?"

Indeed completely clean of even a single speck of spilled flower, Snow White finished rolling the top of her last pie. "Oh! I don't know how I do it…it just happens." Balancing the desserts on her arms, she made her way to the ovens.

"Get used to it, Rapunzel." Tiana, with the grace of someone born to thrive over a pan, danced from skillet to skillet as she cooked her winning entrée. "They're all like that."

DING!

There was a clash of metal as countless smaller dishes were pulled out of the ovens at once. With a flick of her whisk, Rapunzel's squash was stirred to a mash in no time. Eugene worked at double speed, handing her the items she needed as she finally mixed it all into a liquid, pouring it into the boiling pot. And then, at last, the soup was finished.

With a sigh, she sprinkled the roasted hazelnut bits over it.

"I'm done!"

"Me too!" Snow White placed her pies on the table with Rapunzel's soup.

"Almost…" Tiana twisted a last bit of pepper over her shrimp and fish. The meal, toasted just the right golden brown and smothered in tangy, spicy sauces, made even those who'd spent the entire night cooking mouths water. "Done."

"Great!" Charlotte spun and spun, throwing her arms in the air, "Oh, how can I ever repay you all!"

"Well," Adam tugged at the end of his ponytail, but the bit of sugar stuck in it was not breaking free anytime soon. "Now that that's done, why don't we—"

"Now all we need is someone to serve it!"

"_What_! ?" Eugene almost wrung that pink monstrosity's neck; he had been turned off of any and all types of food for _weeks _for her sake, and now she wanted more?

"The servin' staff was with the caterer. They left when we fired them." She shrugged. "But don't worry, that I am definitely findin' them on my own. I've asked way too much of Tiana tonight."

Tiana couldn't seem to help but nod gently, almost leaning on her husband. Her hair had long fallen out of its bun and stuck to her sweat-slicked face, her arms spotted with every bit of food used tonight.

"We can do it!" Snow White popped her head up from the table, nearly falling over herself from fatigue.

Eugene huffed, "Oh, why me..." Rapunzel shrugged at him.

"We can do it."

The royals looked up, only to see Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora, Mulan, Pocahontas, and all their princes standing in the doorway.

"No, no, no!" Charlotte shook her head with her typical over-the-top force, "I ain't makin'—"

"Of course we can." Cinderella reached out and gently stopped her head. "We will always aid a friend in need."

"But—"

"Just leave it to me."

* * *

"Shoulders back, arms steady." Cinderella, her signature dress replaced with a white shirt and black skirt, directed the line of princesses and princes behind her, "Act as if you are proud of what you are serving, and remember to be polite no matter how rude your clients are—and as there are glasses of wine on these trays, I expect they soon will get quite rude—and remember, feel free to pause if you feel something unsteady."

The double doors opened as the line filled out to serve Charlotte's guests, copying their leader's every move.

"Whoa!" Mulan, clearly not comfortable with the trays stacked on her arms, stepped forward and back, her feet twisting below her. Just as a plate was about to fall, Rapunzel glided forward to steady it. "Thank you," Mulan mouthed, and she followed the rest of the line.

Relieved, the princess left the room to rejoin the others in the sitting room, all still smelling of their respective dishes.

"I can't believe my first hosted ball turned into introducin' princes and princesses to the life of servitude," Tiana sighed, letting her matted and glistening curls flop down onto her shoulders. Her makeup had long sweated off her face, leaving only exhaustion.

"I've never cooked as fast as we had there." Snow White curled onto Charlotte's couch, closing her tired eyes.

"Umph." Rapunzel slumped down onto Eugene's shoulder, able to see the clumps of squash and old skins of hazelnut that stuck out on his black vest.

"Not exactly what I had in mind for our ball this year, I admit," Naveen sat himself next to Tiana and the Prince, letting his wife lean her head on his shoulder, "But it certainly was interesting."

"To be honest," Belle fanned out her golden dress for the air to cool her off, "I probably put in the least amount of effort tonight, and even I'm in no mood to dance."

"Ugh, just the thought of dancing makes me want to sleep," Rapunzel groaned, joining her friends on the couch.

"Sleep…yeah…"

One by one, they all drifted off, sagged over on the La Bouff family couch.

* * *

**Not quite as action packed as last year's ball, but I hope that was decently fun for y'all. (:**

**And…**

**YAY FOR SUMMER. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A lot of people always ask me about non-franchise princesses, so I wrote a chapter to give them a time to shine. This is probably the only time they'll show up, but I hope you enjoy this!**

**I've been focusing on finishing some other fics lately, so that's why this one is again delayed in coming out. Sorry! DX And oh, I had great fun making Alice basically the Disney version of Luna Lovegood.**

* * *

It was not always easy to be a walking, talking, upright fox. Marian had learned this long ago.

First, there were the odd looks she receives as she walked through a more human-populated area, where many of the children and even some adults have never seen her kind, as hard as it may be to believe. Some people, poor things, were never exposed to culture.

And secondly, it was the fact that she was staring at a young, muscled and waiting lioness, unsure whether to refer to her as an equal or as an animal. You could never be sure, with those who walked on all fours. If you spoke to them as animals when they were at your level of aptitude, they were (understandably) offended. If you spoke to them as equals when they weren't, you looked extremely daft.

"Can I help you?" the lioness finally asked, looking up at her with blue eyes that Marion swore a second ago were green. Her level. Thank goodness.

"Oh, I was just going to the House of Mouse for a drink." The building shone in front of her, big blue letters lighting up the sky. She loved the House, not only fur its life and entertainment, but for the fact that everyone there was just a tad different, and everyone there was, for the most part, intelligent enough for her to know to speak to as an equal.

"Really?" Smiling, the large cat walked past her towards the club, "I was too. Care to go in together?"

"Oh, I would love it!" Marion followed her, picking up her skirt so that the lioness didn't step on it with her claws, "My name is Maid Marion. What's yours?"

"Nala." The lioness placed her front paw's on Daisy's desk, pulling herself up to meet her. "Table for two, please."

"Coming right up!" Daisy grinned at them, but then turned back to whatever conversation she was having about droopy hairbows.

Marion sighed with content, stepping back to wait with a few others—a girl, possibly a bit before her teenage years, was standing cross-armed and tapping her foot furiously. Her blond hair fell well below her back, tied back only by a thin black head band. In fact, none of her dress was particularly fancy—just a short creased dress that reminded Marion of her friend Aurora's, and a pair of plain black flats. Definitely the dress of a girl who did more than sit in a grand castle.

"If that boy ever arrives, my goodness, I am going to…he will never know what hit him…" she spoke to herself, huffing and brushing a stray hair off her cheek.

"Excuse me, my dear, but is there something wrong?" Marion tapped on the girl's shoulder. Immediately losing her anger and instead smiling and curtsying politely, the girl shook her head.

"No, no. Nothing of large importance. My date is just rather late, that is all," she said, "My name is Princess Eilonwy." She stuck out her hand and shook it with Marion's.

"Princess Eilonwy? Can't say I've heard that name before." Nala sat down and began licking a paw. Eilonwy shrugged.

"Oh, this is the first time I've been here."

"Well then, Eilonwy, why don't you join Nala and me as we sit down for a few drinks?" Marion offered as a penguin waiter finally waddled up to take them to their table.

"I would like that very much."

The three women (well, two and a half) followed the penguin to their table, a booth near the back. Mickey was, as always, announcing the next cartoon in his signature high-pitched voice, with Goofy tripping and sliding and yowling all over the place, sending food in all directions. Some villain near the front was clearly trying to scheme up a takeover plan, and Timon was shouting insults from the side.

In short, just another day at the House.

"Nala, I see you have returned to this strange gathering place. May I join you and your friends?"

"Oh, of course, Kida."

Eilonwy scooted over to make room for her, a dark skinned yet pearl-white haired woman dressed in clothes rather revealing for what Marion was used to. No matter; Marion was not the type to judge, even if Kida showed an unusual amount of her midriff.

"So Kida, I don't think I've seen you here before either," Marion said as another penguin waiter approached to take their order, "I'll have the Hades Souffledes," she told him, nodding.

"I don't come here often. It is just a bit difficult getting here."

"Oh, of course." Marion smiled, raising her waterglass as the waiter passed them out, "Well, here's hoping the time you have is enjoyable."

"And now," Mickey called from the front, "for a special dancing performance, we proudly present Esmerelda!"

The club (especially the men) roared in applause as a lovely tan-skinned woman with sharp emerald eyes bounded onto the stage, bowing low to the already tossed roses. Marion clapped politely, until the lights died down and the spotlight landed on her.

Flipping, spinning, and splitting across the stage, Esmerelda danced to the low twangs of the guitar, clapping once with the beat before kicking her legs higher than Marian ever thought possible.

"Incredible!" Kida exclaimed with wide eyes, speaking for them all.

"I've never seen such dancing before," Eilonwy said, rubbing her chin, "our dances are usually so much more reserved."

"I can't even move my legs in those directions!" Nala jerked her back paw out, trying to raise it. Looking at Marion, with her more human-like structure, she sighed. "Sometimes I wish I was built like you are."

"Oh, thank you, but please, you are lovely." Marian lowered her leg back down to the floor.

"Thanks. But it can be annoying having to look up to everyone all the time."

"Nala, your eyes, they are green!" Eilonwy said suddenly. Nala glanced to the left, then back.

"Yes?"

"A second ago they were blue."

"Yes, they do that."

"Anyway," Marian said, watching Esmerelda do her last jump and spin, "What are you all doing for the rest of the night?"

"Oh, there that boy is!" Eilonwy leapt from her seat in the booth and ran over to a slightly scrawny, confused looking young man standing in the middle of the hall. She took his arm, sharply whispering to him something about it their meeting time being 5 or 6.

Marian giggled. Ah, young love. She remembered the earliest days of her and Robin's relationship…the trouble they got into.

The penguin wobbled up to her with her strangely blue soufflé. She thanked him, picked up her fork and began to eat. But, just then, another girl, this one is a poofed blue dress, blonde hair and eyes that looked wistfully all around her, walked by their table. Alice.

"Oh, I wouldn't eat that if I were you," the girl said.

"Really? Why?"

"Oh, silly me, for a second I thought it was a magic mushroom. They make you grow. You would take up this entire club, and I don't think the owners would like that very much."

Kida glanced towards Nala.

"I believe you are right, Alice," Marian said, smiling at her, "but it is just a soufflé."

"Of course." Alice nodded. "By the way, have you seen the white rabbit? He has such the tendency of getting lost. I remember when I had to chase him all through Wonderland, with the talking flowers and smoking caterpillars and Twiddledee and Twiddledum. He _was _late for his date, I suppose."

"Sounds like quite the adventure," Kida said, again looking warily to Nala, who didn't seem fazed at all.

"It's just Alice. Get used to this," Nala sighed.

Alice did not hear, instead continuing to speak. "Oh, it was. But I got horribly lost, and started to cry, and all the creatures in Wonderland cried with me…like the birds, who in Wonderland look like umbrellas and all other sorts of things, and—"

"What's an umbrella?" Kida whispered to Nala. She shrugged.

"It's a tool to keep the rain off of you," Marian whispered to the both of them. "Why don't you sit down, Alice?"

"Oh, I'd love to."Alice sat, smoothing out her skirt and folding her hands in front of her. "I tell you, have you ever played croquet with a flamingo?"

Marian smiled sweetly at her, ignoring Kida's very confused face and Nala's not too quiet huff of breath, "No, dear, I have not."

"Well, it is not very fun in the slightest, especially when the ball is a hedgehog."

"I'd imagine," Marian replied.

"So," Alice crossed her hands politely in front of her, turning to Kida, "Where are you from?"

"I am the princess of Atlantis."

"Oh, are you one of Ariel's sisters?" Alice asked, thanking Marion when she offered her a glass of water, "I didn't know two of you wanted to be human."

Kida shook her head, glancing off to the side, "I do not know this Ariel person, so I am most definitely not her sister."

"Ariel is from Atlanti-_ca_," Nala corrected, "she's a mermaid, Kida."

"Oh, that's right." Shaking her head, Alice giggled into her folded hand, "I'm so sorry for my mistake. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find my friend, the rabbit—wouldn't want him going through anymore talking doors."

She stood and, smoothing her skirt in a very trained and proper way, walked off with her hands folded behind her back.

"That was a strange girl," Kida said, shaking her head.

"Oh, she's sweet." Marian watched her pet a lion cub on the head.

"Sweet, but strange."

"Hey, Marian, did you know Giselle?" Nala asked suddenly, scratching her ear. Marian looked at her in surprise; that name was not unspoken of, but very few really knew of her outside the main Disney Princesses.

"Yes, I met her once. Beautiful girl. Why?"

"I hear she disappeared."

"She did, you see, but she was sent to…another world," Marian shuddered at the thought of the stories she's heard in that dark, cold place, "a world of flashing lights and unfriendliness… where people could _break up their marriages!"_

She heard a collective gasp around her; she hadn't noticed Megara, Jane and Wendy sitting in the booths next to her, looking with at her with shock (well, not Meg. She looked just slightly surprised)

"Not that I'm one to be horrified and stunned when someone's first romance doesn't work out," she said, tossing her bangs out of her face, "but when you're already married? That's depressing."

"Its called _'divorce.'_" Marian almost spat as she said it, "And depressing is not a bad enough word."

"I never want to go to that land." Wendy shook her head, her pin curls twirling around her cheeks.

"Me neither," Jane added, "the thought of breaking up with Tarzan…it sends shivers down my spine!"

"We must help Giselle escape!" Nala said, the others nodding in agreement. Marian shook her head, chuckling to herself.

"No no no, I hear she's made a nice life there. No need to worry about her."

"If you say so," Meg said, turning back into her booth.

"Well, that's all for tonight folks! See ya real soon!" Mickey called out to the club, and before Marian knew it, even the remaining customers were starting to shuffle out the doors.

"Is tonight's show over already?" Nala asked, looking toward the nearest clock. Indeed, it was almost midnight! How time flies!

"It appears so."

Kida smiled at both of them, standing and climbing out of the booth. "I thank you both for your kind treatment of me tonight. I don't get to come here often and this was a real gift. And to think, a few centuries ago my first instinct would be to kill you all."

"Uh…thanks," Nala said. As she walked past her, she whispered, "I'd be able to fight you off."

"I don't believe so, my friend," Kida said as she followed the lioness, "I have a strong spear—"

"I have claws and more speed."

"I have the advantage of—"

Marian smiled to herself as she left her booth. She paid the tab at the front desk, waving goodbye to a still-distracted Daisy Duck as she left. The House of Mouse: a place of social activity for characters or all walks of life, from the sweetest princess to the most dastardly villain. A place truly like no other.

She walked out into the brisk city air.


End file.
